What began in our Church as a discussion about Justice and Compassion has become what we call, “Love In Action”. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have become convinced that the Gospel has great implications for our neighborhoods, our communities, and our world. These include the areas of evangelization (demonstrating the truth of Jesus Christ), Social Justice, and Compassion. We are implementing these realities in our immediate neighborhood, in our community, within the greater MD of Foothills and the Province of Alberta, and on a national and international level.
Our L.I.A. team maintains a blog (click HERE) providing information on a variety of social justice issues.
Current Love in Action Projects:
Our final shoe box count in Canada for 2010 is 640,769 (last year we collected 640,569). In Alberta we collected 125,769 shoeboxes, an increase of 09% when we compare to 115,677 in 2009. Our Grand Totals for 2011, considering all the collection Countries, is 8,183,087 shoeboxes.
Good Food Boxes are an opportunity for families to purchase fresh produce at wholesale prices. Our volunteer partners, Hi-Fab Trucking, pick the food boxes and deliver them to the church where they are distributed.
Through our partnership with Dr. Mabiala Kenzo in Boma, Democratic Republic of Congo, we will be hopefully fielding a small short term mission (STM) team. This team will be working at the Seminary that is under construction. Due to the volatile nature of the political climate in the DRC, this STM has been postponed twice in the last two years. We hope and pray that God will open the doors for us to serve there, but are prepared to wait for His timing. Interested individuals should contact Kyle Jantzen.
Our church serves a fair trade coffee, marketed by a company called “Level Ground”. Not only does this organization pay small coffee growers a fair price for their organically grown coffee, but they are also involved in community renewal and crop diversification projects. Level Ground coffee can be shared and purchased through our own Higher Grounds coffee time after our Sunday Morning Family Celebration Services.
Anchored Warriors is a developing partnership between our church youth program, and a youth outreach program on the Eden Reservation (Stoney Nation). What began as a Native Youth Conference (NYC) at Camp Nakumun (Nothwest of Edmonton) has grown into follow-up ministries at several reservations. Our youth program is building a bridge between our church, and First Nations students living in Eden Valley.
Defend Dignity is a new initiative of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada to end prostitution in Canada.
Take It Or Leave It is a free clothing exchange. It is hosted by our church every year end of August. Clean, gently used clothing donations are gratefully accepted during designated drop off times, and volunteers are always needed for setup, takedown, and for helping run this event.
